Disney World Here We Come!! Part II

 Part I of our journey to Disney World Orlando. The next day of our mini family vacay, we decided to enjoy Disney Hollywood Studios Park. Why? Because of Star Wars of course!! Sam, myself and the kids have always loved Star Wars and with Sara growing up, we enjoyed it even more so. So we began our day early, and ate breakfast at the hotel and made our way to the Gondolas that were just a short distance from our hotel. 

 On the Gondola, we headed to Disney Hollywood Studios. It was an awesome ride and we made it to the park without any issues. I was also able to take the wheelchair we got from Magic Kingdom with us on the gondola. But, once in the park we had reserved a motorized wheelchair for me to use. We began our journey into the park...

The entrance into the park, we saw Big Hero 6 Baymax in balloon form, as you enter. I reminded myself to take a photo of him when we left the park.  We also took photos in front of the droid statues, BB8 and R2D2. It was cool to see them! I had to take a photo of my little Cheesy too! It was definitely getting hot that morning, even though it was only 10am!!

 We headed straight to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge first! Once there, we saw lines for one of the rides we wanted so we had to plan our way to make sure we got into certain rides with an early pass. So first, we went to ride the Millennium Falcon. Kalani and Max rode with another group and Sam, myself, Sara, Taby and Brenavin were in one flight, Sam and I were the pilots, Taby, Brenavin and Sara were the gunners. The whole ride and simulation was the best experience ever!! We had a blast and as a family too!

 

 

We also rode Star Tours, it was pretty cool as well and this one, we all sat on a row with about 30 other people. So it was fun! Then, we went to the Toy Story park side and rode on the Toy Story Mania ride and it was so cool, as we walked through to enter the ride itself, it was like we were toys and in Andy's room. The door was huge, and you could see the window high above, as we walk through the twists and turns to get to the actual ride itself. I enjoyed that one too! Unfortunately, the Slinky Dog Dash was crowded and about an 80 minute wait to ride. So we decided to go back to Star Wars Galaxy Edge.

We walked through and took in the scenery and shops. The making of a light saber and droids, was on our list, but it was a long wait. Sadly, we found out later that you had to make reservations to make a droid. Ugh. It was booked and so that idea was not in the cards. We decided to eat at Docking Bay 7 for lunch and it was good. Lots of kid friendly food items. So we just relaxed inside and avoided the hot sun.

When we got outside, we made our way through to some shops. Then even noticed Chewy walking around, so if you look closely, Sam is right behind Chewy as the crowds started to huddle around him. It was neat to see. There was even some Storm troopers not too long after seeing Chewy. We also saw Darth Vader's ship. We made sure to stop by the Milk Stand and got both "Blue" and "Green" milk. It was yummy and definitely better than the one we tried on Guam. In fact, the green one I liked best! It had bits of crushed ice, so it kept us cool from the Florida heat!

 

 It was definitely hot outside and we needed to head indoors. Sam, Kalani, Max and I went to Indiana Jone's Show and Taby, Brenavin and Sara decided to do a bit more shopping in Star Wars Galaxy Edge. It was a long wait in line for the Indiana Jones show. But, we took our time as they shuffled us in. But, even while sitting and waiting for the show to begin. It was a long wait, I would say about 35mins. when it finally began. But worth the wait, because it was really neat to see the whole production and meet the team that did them! Lots of action, with fire, guns, and bombs too!

 

Most of the rides had long lines and we were tired by then. So by about 6pm we decided we'd head back to our hotel and go eat at a restaurant. We took the Gondola back to the hotel and decided to meet at 8pm for dinner. I made sure to take a photo of Baymax. Sam and Brenavin both got Light Sabers before we left. On the way back to our rooms, we walked through and took photos of the cool large sized three wheeler bike, Foosball game board, and Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head toys. We rested and cooled down before taking a bus to the nearest Disney Mall for dinner.

We made it to this outdoor mall Disney Springs close to our hotel on a bus and found this restaurant called, "Paradiso 37" for dinner. Sadly, I didn't take photos of our meal, but it was delicious. I loved their unsweetened ice tea, it was yummy! Great food and service as well. We sat by a window over looking the bay. There were some fireworks and lots of people around. We even took a leisurely stroll through the mall. But, it was time to head back to our hotel for the night. It was definitely a memorable experience and something our children will remember for Summer 2022!

The next day, we made our way back to Jacksonville. Believe it or not, it started to rain as we got closer to Kalani's apartment. The weather channel did say there was going to be thunderstorms and rain for the next few days. So we were very lucky to have the sunny days that we had while in Orlando.

Thank you for reading! ~ ggsdolls

Disney World Here We Come!!

 We decided to take a much needed family trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. It was a few months in the making, and it would be most of my little family going. Sadly, Tevin would be deployed on Guam, but he was enjoying the island he missed so much. So it wasn't a total loss.

 Sam, Sara and I left on June 25th headed to Florida... We left Guam and arrived safely into Narita, Japan and with a quick turn around we boarded for San Francisco. Once in San Fran, our next leg took us through to Houston, Texas. By then, we had already flown 17 hours by plane. When we got to our gate for the flight to Jacksonville, we found out the flight had been canceled. We spent almost 2 hours in line at the customer service counter. United gave us hotel and food vouchers. Sadly, our plane had technical issues, thus why our flight into Florida was canceled. Ugh. Quick mention, in the flight leaving Guam below, another passenger brought his plushies too! You can see them in the overhead bin!!

We had 2 nights to kill in Houston, because the next flight available for us, wasn't until Monday, June 27th. We were jet-lagged, hungry and so by the time we made it to our hotel, it was 11pm at night and most places were closed already. So, luckily, Sam brought snacks with him. We ate a bit and got drinks from a vending machine. We were in bed by 11pm. Next morning, we walked across the street to eat at the Waffle House near by. Still jet-lagged, we ended up falling asleep til' almost 4pm, realizing it was dinner time. So it was Sonic next. We ordered, and when we got our food we took it back to the hotel. It was really hot in Houston. I mean desert hot and dry. Sonic food was pretty good and so we had leftovers for the next morning. By the time we got to the airport, we took it slow and just relaxed. Finally, by 7pm we boarded and were in Jacksonville by 11pm at night. Whew! We finally made it to our destination. It was great seeing Kalani, Max and Jay.

Amercia's Best Hotel above, Sara's peanut butter waffles, and Sonic hotdogs for dinner!

Sara at the Houston airport, charging her phone, while we waited to board...

We got up by 9am and needed to pick up the rental car, and do some shopping. But first as a family we went to Cheddars for lunch. It was really good food. Surprisingly, I didn't take any photos, except for the yummy bread they brought out... LOL We stopped by this lake area and took a family photo. Sadly, not too long after that, we had gotten into a car accident. An elderly lady in a red Tesla decided to try to gun it and get into the inner left lane in front of us, which resulted in Kalani's car rear ending her. Airbags deployed and Kalani, myself, Max and Sara were a bit shaken up. Kalani, Sara and myself all got bruises an scrapes. The airbag and seat belt definitely knocked the wind out of me and my ears were ringing from it. Thank God nothing more serious. But, of course Kalani's car was not drivable because of the airbags being deployed. She was given a loner, thank goodness. Whew, because we were set to drive down to Orlando for Disney the next day.

 Above: Believe it or not, Brenavin, Taby's boyfriend, was taking video as they were listening to music and driving in the other car behind us. From the upper corner of his video, you can see when the red Tesla drove right in front of Kalani's car!! The video was given to the officers after the accident.

We were had to wait to pick up Kalani's loner car, so instead of leaving for our drive that morning, we had to leave later after 12pm. Once on the road to Disney, we arrived there about 3pm and made our way to our hotel within the park so we could check in and head to the Magic Kingdom park for our first day at Disney. Disney Pop Century Resort was a retro hotel, with each building representing an era, 50s, 60s, 70s, etc. Our rooms were in the 80s side. Because you can see Pac-Man characters on the railings of our hotel building. In the lobby, was a Disney shop, Caricature artist station, a small game room, pool, and others neat things. Along the walls of the check in counter were memorabilia from each era. Like walkman, records, the first Apple computer, yo-yo's etc. Sara and I looked through the glass cases as Sam, Taby, and Kalani checked in.

 

A little after 5pm we were in the Magical Kingdom and took a few photos in front of the castle before eating dinner and then onto the Buzz Lightyear ride. It was so much fun, we went to get ice cream next and while the family went on the Ariel ride, I was able to meet and talk with a fellow collector and friend, KewtKitsch!! We spent a few hours just talking and talking. While I was with her, there were a few people, stopping and telling her how beautiful she was and how they loved her style! It was the best just hanging out with her. I was definitely start struck!! We wished we could've saw more of each other, but she had to work the next day and we were only there for the 2 days. Darn. But maybe next time!! ILY Heather!!

Heather was just the best and even though we had only met for the first time, it was like we had known each other since high school! It was so funny, a lady went by and thought it was some kind of reality show, and was saying to us, "Oh are you guys doing a reality show like University Meetups?" Heather and I just looked at each other and laughed!! Kewtkitsch walked with my family and I until we got to the castle for the fireworks show. But had to leave by then because she worked the next day. It was definitely magical meeting her! 

After the fireworks, we made our way to the front of Magic kingdom and stopped by some of the shops and bought souvenirs of course. It was definitely a long day and we wanted to make sure we were rested and ready for the 2nd day here at Disney World...

Our hotel room, Sara ready for bed and the decor. Simple, and comfortable. We slept by 11pm. We did wish we had more time in the Magical Kingdom. Next post, Day 2 Disney World, Orlando.

Thank you for stopping by! ~ ggsdolls

Interview with Marcelowyellow!!

 

 Interview with a Collector - ggsdolls blog Series 

      Here's my monthly series on my blog where I share some of the most amazing collectors, sellers, and creatives, that have become friends of mine and what they collect and why?

    For the month of June, my blog interview is with the handsome, marcelowyellow on Instagram or commonly known as Marcelo.

    Marcelo was born in Brazil and am currently living in Rio de Janeiro. Though he has lived in the United States for twenty plus years too. He has worked as a store manager for an Italian high-end fashion brand. Now on to the questions!

    What began your journey to collecting rubber face plushies, etc?     

     I'm a collector at heart, and have gone through several different phases during my 25 plus years of collecting vintage toys, kitsch and ephemera. My interests are quite vast as far as toys go, but I'll try to keep my focus between the decades of the 1950s to the early 1980s. Though, I do own several rubber-faced plushies I do not actively hunt them down. But will buy them on occasion if I fall in love with the character and the price is right. The bulk of my collection these days consists of vintage rubber and vinyl toys (squeaks) and vintage fashion dolls, such as Brazilian Susi (1966-1975), pre-80s Barbies and celebrity dolls. Besides those, I also collect Japanese toys/dolls, 70s action figures, vintage Happy Meal toys, rollie pollie dolls, 80s Playmobil, space-themed toys and the list keeps on going...

    How do you describe your relationship with your collection? What attracts you to these items and what keeps you interested?

    Vintage toys remind me of the happy carefree days of childhood. Though I did not come from a “wealthy” family, I pretty much got the toys I coveted as a kid, as far as I recall. So, no, I wasn't this toy-deprived child who compensates for it as an adult or has a bout of Peter Pan Syndrome.

    Looking at my collection, displayed on shelves and cases in my home, does transport me back to those joyful times and I still do get starry eyed about it. Toys musn't be expensive to be cherished either as I value the dirt cheap broken toys from the flea market as much as the break-the-bank highly coveted collectibles you've overbid from Ebay.

    What is it about the vintage kitsch era that makes it different from other eras?

    The eyes! I'm a total sucker for those big round eyes combined with that mid-century aesthetic. I'm such an old soul and if something is vintage, combined with cute, with a touch of kitsch and a dash of weird I'm in! Let's also mention the quality and care put into manufacturing them, with all those amazing hand done details we don't find on contemporary toys at all anymore. Vintage packaging graphics & illustrations are also amazing!

     Tell me a bit more about your collection.

    I've been a collector since I was a kid and I've collected stuff like match boxes, key chains, candy wrappers soda cans and whatever else I thought was cool at the time. As a teenager, I was into new wave records and foreign magazines. When I moved into my first apartment, I started buying 50s/60s furniture and kitschy atomic-age objects to decorate my place. Along with that I was already adding vintage toys to my own childhood ones that my mom never had the heart to give away. Moving to the US a couple of years later opened the horizon to having access to many more vintage toys that weren't available back in Brazil. I recall making my first truly vintage (to me) purchase in Miami in the mid 90's: a Farrah Fawcett doll, a Buck Rogers doll and a Brooke Shields doll, all mint in box – and I was in heaven! The next milestone was when I opened my first Ebay account in 1999 and was only downhill from there! I went through a couple of years of really heavy Ebay buying and I don ́t regret it a bit! I actually only regret the toys I sold on eBay at times I thought I needed to scale down my hoarding.

Though toys are my main focus, I must confess I do bring the oddest stuff home from the flea markets, such as old medical school props, taxidermy and whatever else strikes my fancy. My home can be a tad creepy for first-timers. But I love that surprise aspect too. Nowadays, I m mainly on the lookout for vintage rubber squeaks and 70's. Susi doll fashions as example, but I search for a dozen other things too, depending on the day's mood.

    What has been the reaction to your collection from family and friends?

    It's usually a surprise when new people I meet learn that I collect vintage toys, specially work- related folk. Some people find it quite interesting and some are unfazed, and that's OK too. To my family it ́s no big deal as I ́ve been a collector of stuff since I was a kid. To be a collector you must not care too much about what people say or think about your hobbies, as it's your passion and we cannot live our lives to please others, right?

    Do you have a favorite item and why is it so special to you?

    I don't have a favorite item, really, and couldn't pick just one. But, usually my latest purchase is usually my favorite one for the time being.

    If any item could just fall on your lap free of charge? What item would that be, and why?

    Just one? That's a hard one! There is a Viceroy panda version of a Sunny bear that has been on my wish list for a few years. But haven't seen one for sale yet. I'd be very happy to own one of those for sure!! Pandas are the best and Sunny is just the cutest bear, so combining both is just perfection!

    Have you noticed an increase in the popularity of vintage kitsch, why do you think this is so?

    Pop singer, Melanie Martinez is certainly the main artist who introduced that kitschy-creepy- cute aesthetic to her young fanbase, who are voraciously gobbling up Rushtons & rubber faces from Ebay. Prices have also skyrocketed since, that is a bummer. Some young collectors can be a bit too eager to build a collection overnight. So that also reflects on the inflated prices we see now regarding 50 ́s/60 ́s era nursery-style toys and kitsch. But, I'm also glad that a new generation of collectors are appreciating and preserving these amazing toys. 

    Finally, is there anything else you would like to add?

    Building a collection, be it toys, stamps, lunchboxes or baseball cards, requires discipline, research, patience and perseverance. It could takes years to build a focused collection and some grail items might seem impossible to attain or take forever to show up at a decent price, but they always do! Collections are often changing hands for a variety of reasons. So, be patient and try not to overpay unnecessarily. Treasures can be found pretty much anywhere so be open minded to expand where you search for them too. Keep it in mind that we are just the current guardians of our collections, which one day will move on to the next guardian. In the meantime, enjoy and have fun with it! Don't hog information, share with it your peers. There is so much out there to be learned about toy collecting still and it's the network we build with other collectors that will keep on widening our horizons.

    Also, be kind to other collectors, be it newbies or old timers and keep out of the gossip mill, as we do not need that negative energy.

Perfectly said my dear friend! Thank you so much to Marcelo for allowing me to interview him, share his amazing collection and give us some wise words to part with!

Until next month for another installment of an interview with a collector! Kindness Matters...

Thank you for reading! ~ ggsdolls